2 WAIRARAPA NEWS, JUNE 8, 2011
NEWS
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Water project enters new phase
Outlined: The map shows the overall Wairarapa Water Use Project study area, which has been under investigation since 2007.
More staff
and funds
Investigations into what could be
one of the largest economic devel-
opment projects in the greater
Wellington region are set to
increase, with the establishment
of a detailed project plan and
additional staff and funding.
The potential for Wairarapa to
store excess water off-river in win-
ter and release it for community
and agricultural uses during the
dry season has been explored
since 2007.
Following an independent
review of project investigations to
date, and a $750,000 allocation in
Greater Wellington Regional
Council s proposed annual plan, a
series of more in-depth
investigations are now planned.
While irrigation of farmland
had been the early focus of this
project, a range of other potential
uses for water, including urban
and recreational use, could benefit
wide sections of the Wairarapa
community and will become a key
part of future investigations, said
project leadership group
chairwoman Fran Wilde, who also
chairs the Greater Wellington
Regional Council.
Extensive pre-feasibility work
done during the past four years
has identified potential sites for
storage and indicated a potential
demand for water, with strong
economic returns.
The plan for the next 12 months
includes assessing water demand,
and further engineering, environ-
mental and economic studies.
We need to find out who wants
water, where and when they want
it and how much they want, Ms
Wilde said.
Assuming the budget is passed
as part of Greater Wellington s
annual plan at the end of this
month, this work will begin in
August and involve ongoing face-
to-face discussions with iwi,
environmental and recreational
groups, farmers, urban communi-
ties, and, potentially, energy com-
panies.
At the same time, a series of
more detailed technical studies
will get under way, with a storage
area south of Martinborough first
on the list.
An earlier report on the
economics of irrigated farming
will be reviewed and updated dur-
ing the next few months.
The potential for high-value
land uses, such as horticulture,
which might also attract
processing facilities, will be
investigated, as well as liaising
with local councils
on
opportunities for urban and rec-
reational water use.
We recognise the need for more
resources and are now recruiting
a technical co-ordinator to work
with the overall project manage-
ment team, Ms Wilde said.
A website to help interested
parties stay in touch with
the project has been set up at
wairarapawater.org.nz
The Wairarapa investigations
are separate but parallel to other
work by Greater Wellington.
As part of a regional plan
review, we are looking at water
allocation and storage issues and
how we can manage the impact of
land use in an environmentally,
culturally and economically viable
way, Ms Wilde said.
We have also invested in
upgrading our scientific know-
ledge of the behaviour of ground
water and its relationship with
surface water, and this data will
assist with both the regional plan
review and development of the
Water Use Project.
The Wairarapa Water Use Proj-
ect is overseen by a leadership
group of representatives from
Greater Wellington Regional
Council, the three Wairarapa dis-
trict councils, iwi groups
Rangitane o Wairarapa and Ngati
Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, the
Wairarapa Regional Irrigation
Trust, environmental, and rec-
reational groups and Grow Wel-
lington.